FLASH NEWS
2026-07-22 15:25:00 / POLITIKË
Another appointment in the state administration is expected to spark a debate about favoritism towards people close to power. Pamela Qirko, sister of former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure, Belinda Balluku, is expected to be appointed Deputy Director General of the Deposit Insurance Agency (ASD), despite not having any experience in the financial sector. The appointment comes after she was one of the figures used in the vetting process in the judiciary, while her sister has been at the center of opposition accusations for years for corruption and misuse of public funds.
According to sources, the ASD Steering Council is expected to approve this month the appointment of Pamela Qirko to the position of deputy general director, following the proposal by the institution's new director, Mina Kusta, writes Monitor magazine.
Pamela Qirko is a lawyer and from 2017 to 2023 she was a member and then chair of the Independent Qualification Commission (IKC), the key institution in the vetting process of judges and prosecutors. After the end of her mandate, she attempted to be appointed as a judge at the Court of Appeal of General Jurisdiction in Tirana, but her request was rejected this month.
Her CV does not show any experience in the banking or financial sector, however, this does not seem to have prevented her advancement to a management position in the institution that administers the bank deposit insurance scheme in the country.
Her appointment comes at a time when her sister, Belinda Balluku, continues to be the subject of ongoing accusations of corruption, abuse of public tenders and favoritism in infrastructure contracts, but has been defended by Edi Rama, who has blocked the warrant for her arrest.
In such a situation, it seems that Balluku is not stopping and is also installing her sister in another important state position as part of a model of rewarding and recycling people close to power.
Meanwhile, the Deposit Insurance Agency is preparing for important legal changes that will gradually increase the limit for bank deposit insurance, from 2.5 million lek to 6 million lek in the first phase and, after Albania's accession to the European Union, up to the level of 100 thousand euros, in accordance with European directives. At this important stage for the institution, the appointment of a director with no experience in the financial sector is expected to increase discussions on the real criteria being followed for the management of public institutions.
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